Leaders from across the globe have agreed to a “Global Methane Pledge”, an initiative spearheaded by the US and the EU to cut down on emissions of the odourless gas.
The United States’ climate envoy John Kerry stated that more than 100 countries have signed-up for the pledge with the goal of preventing 0.2C of warming by reducing global methane output by 30% before 2030.
Speaking at the COP26 summit, President Joe Biden thanked the signatories and said: “What we do in this decisive decade… is going to impact whether or not we can meet our longer-term commitment.
The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen echoed that sentiment and explained that reducing emissions from methane production and leaks is “one of the most effective things we can do” to slow down climate change.
Commenting for Sky News, Professor Emily Shuckburgh, director of Cambridge Zero at the University of Cambridge, said:
“It has contributed about 0.5C to warming to date and although it doesn’t stay as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after its release it is 80 times more powerful at heating.
“Methane is an easy win in terms of climate action: cuts using existing technologies and adopting different land management practices could reduce warming by 0.25C by 2050 at little or no cost, and help to keep 1.5 alive.”
Read more about methane:
Investigation Reveals Massive Methane Leaks In Europe
